The Upaniṣads / Kaṭha / 1.14 In the cave
1.14
प्र ते ब्रवीमि तदु मे निबोध स्वर्ग्यमग्निं नचिकेतः प्रजानन् ।
अनन्तलोकाप्तिमथो प्रतिष्ठां विद्धि त्वमेतं निहितं गुहायाम् pra te bravīmi tad u me nibodha svargyam agniṃ naciketaḥ prajānan |
anantalokāptim atho pratiṣṭhāṃ viddhi tvam etaṃ nihitaṃ guhāyām
The line
I tell you. Learn that from me. Knowing the heavenly fire, Naciketas (नचिकेत), know it as the obtaining of an endless world and as a foundation, this one laid in the cave.
नेपालीमा
म तिमीलाई भन्छु, त्यो मबाट सिक। हे नचिकेत, स्वर्गको अग्नि जानेर, गुफामा राखिएको यही अग्निलाई अनन्त लोकको प्राप्ति र आधार जान।
Where it sits
The bricks and the count are the next mantra, reported rather than listed. This book does not invent a brick-count the mantra does not give.
Split: pra (प्र) + te (ते) + bravīmi (ब्रवीमि) + tat (तत्) + u (उ) + me (मे) + nibodha (निबोध) + svargyam agnim (स्वर्ग्यमग्निम्) + naciketaḥ (नचिकेतः) + prajānan (प्रजानन्) + ananta-loka-āptim (अनन्त-लोक-आप्तिम्) + atho (अथो) + pratiṣṭhām (प्रतिष्ठाम्) + viddhi (विद्धि) + tvam (त्वम्) + etam (एतम्) + nihitam (निहितम्) + guhāyām (गुहायाम्)
Sanskrit, in depth
The words
| Word | Grammar | Sense |
|---|---|---|
| pra (प्र) | preverb | Forth. With bravīmi (ब्रवीमि). |
| te (ते) | dative singular | To you. |
| bravīmi (ब्रवीमि) | present, first person singular | I tell. |
| tat (तत्) | accusative singular, neuter | That. Heard tad (तद्). |
| u (उ) | indeclinable | And. |
| me (मे) | ablative, or genitive | From me. |
| nibodha (निबोध) | imperative, second person singular | Learn. From ni-budh (नि-बुध्). |
| svargyam agnim (स्वर्ग्यमग्निम्) | accusative | The heavenly fire. Heard agniṃ (अग्निं). |
| naciketaḥ (नचिकेतः) | vocative singular, masculine | Naciketas (नचिकेत). |
| prajānan (प्रजानन्) | nominative singular, masculine | Knowing. A participle. Yama (यम) knowing it as he tells it. |
| ananta-loka-āptim (अनन्त-लोक-आप्तिम्) | accusative singular, feminine | The obtaining of an endless world. Heard anantalokāptim (अनन्तलोकाप्तिम्). |
| atho (अथो) | indeclinable | And also. |
| pratiṣṭhām (प्रतिष्ठाम्) | accusative singular, feminine | A foundation. Heard pratiṣṭhāṃ (प्रतिष्ठां). |
| viddhi (विद्धि) | imperative, second person singular | Know. From vid (विद्). |
| tvam (त्वम्) | nominative singular | You. |
| etam (एतम्) | accusative singular, masculine | This. The fire. Heard etaṃ (एतं). |
| nihitam (निहितम्) | accusative singular, masculine | Laid, placed. Heard nihitaṃ (निहितं). |
| guhāyām (गुहायाम्) | locative singular, feminine | In the cave. |
The phrases
Yama (यम) both tells and commands the boy to learn. The fire is an obtaining and a foundation, and it is laid in the cave.
Sanskrit in this line
Ananta-loka (अनन्त-लोक) plus āptim (आप्तिम्) is anantalokāptim (अनन्तलोकाप्तिम्). Pra te bravīmi (प्र ते ब्रवीमि) keeps pra (प्र) as the preverb of bravīmi (ब्रवीमि).
Say it back
Say the two things the fire is, and where it is laid.